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Who is Bashar Masri? American billionaire accused of facilitating Hamas' October 7 terror attack on Israel
Bashar Masri was recently advising President Donald Trump's then-envoy for hostage negotiations, Adam Boehler, about postwar plans for Gaza
A Palestinian-American developer has been accused of “aiding and abetting” the terrorist organization Hamas to launch its unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel.
According to a complaint filed on Monday on behalf of 200 family members of Americans killed in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack, Palestinian-American billionaire Bashar Masri allegedly facilitated Hamas tunnel systems through the utilisation of international-funded infrastructure projects in Gaza and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
What to know about case against Bashar Masri
The case filed in a federal court in Washington, DC also accuses him of aiding missile launch locations and granting leaders such as Yahya Sinwar access to infrastructure and utilities at his own properties in Gaza.
Law firms Osen LLC, Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, Stein Mitchell Beato & Missner LLP, and Motley Rice LLC filed the lawsuit, which claimed that Masri had rebuilt the 1997-founded Gaza Industrial Estate (GIE) with USAID assistance shortly after the 2021 conflict, making it a center of Hamas operations.
One of the two infrastructures was situated at two opulent hotels on the Mediterranean, which became the epicenter of a fierce conflict between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Hamas during the beginning of the war. Another one was located at an industrial park, a few yards from Kibbutz Nahal Oz and close to the Karni border from Israel into Gaza.
According to NY POST, one of the lawyers for the victims' families, Lee Wolosky of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, claimed in the lawsuit that “on and after October 7, Defendants provided electricity to Hamas and specifically to Hamas attack tunnels built under and into Defendants’ properties.”
“Defendants provided services that legitimized Hamas and gave its operations under and within Defendants’ properties greater protection from Israeli and U.S. action. All of this assistance was beneficial to Hamas in sustaining its iron-fisted rule in Gaza and in committing acts of international terrorism.”
Who is Bashar Masri?
Masri was recently advising President Donald Trump's then-envoy for hostage negotiations, Adam Boehler, about postwar plans for Gaza. The Jerusalem Post said that Masri even attended diplomatic meetings with Boehler that were conducted in Cairo, Egypt, and Doha, Qatar.
According to a “60 Minutes” profile from December 2019, Masri was the main man behind the development of the “futuristic” city of Rawabi in the West Bank and has long been a most popular figure in US diplomatic circles. He also played a key role in “planning” of the First Intifada of 1987 against Israel.
During his appearance in an interview with Bill Whitaker of CBS News, Masri described his real estate projects as “a shortcut” to peace with Israel.
Has Masri reacted to allegations?
Masri's spokesperson said he was astonished to hear the accusations in the media, adding that they will take the “baseless” lawsuit to court to have it dismissed, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Claiming that Masri “unequivocally opposes violence of any kind,” the spokesperson denied that he or his businesses had committed crimes or supported militias and violence.
The family members of the October 7 victims in the United States were attempting to use the Anti-Terrorism Act to hold Masri, who is a member of the board of Harvard University Kennedy School of Government, and his companies and assets responsible for their cooperation with Hamas in a way that facilitated the 2023 attack.
